Football Politics and Commerce: Testing the Public Welfare Orientation of Football

The chapter discusses the economic aspect of (mainly German) football. Using Foucault's approach of “biopolitics”, football is viewed within the paradigm of late neoliberalism, in which actors in the field of football have committed themselves willingly to the performance paradigm. While a drive for success has taken over most actors, the field also embeds strong criticism of neoliberalism. The chapter asks how the different challenges are met by relevant football actors.